After winning The Taste C4 2014, I travelled and cooked my way around the world and had many food related adventures. As I evolve so does the story and I've extended my blog across 3 key areas Food, Life and Living. Check out Instagram, Pintrest, Twitter, Facebook @homeofrealfood.

November 10, 2014

UK/USA The Taste Winners Diary : Day 12 and 13 #Homeward bound

My first ever USA food adventure is coming to an end.

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My penultimate day was a Rest and recuperation day, my only focus for today, being Sunday as well it fell perfectly into the lazy days that everyone had planned.

Knowing the Weezy was NOT going not make an early appearance after her elongated night escapades. Peter and I decided to go for a walk with the Delightful Perrin and mutely Muggins the dog to Prospect park.

Now I have no photographs at all for today’s post as I dropped my phone down ( a clean) toilet and after asking twitter for advice ( dear friend @Gastrogays) advised rice, and it was sitting in a bowl of rice all day and night restoring itself to normality I need to understand the science behind this but fortunately it is working for how long I don’t know, but Monday and travelling home I have a phone can sort it our in the UK.

We stopped firstly at Bagel factory park slopes for breakfast and I had a fresh nutty and slightly fruity California Bagel, Pete had a everything bagel( its name says what it is!), and little Perrin had a regular toasted cream cheese.
We meandered through the park it was a beautiful crisp, fall : autumnal day , the brilliance of the multiple coloured leaves their crunch underfoot, grey squirrels busy running up and down tree trunks tormenting leashed dogs!, busy boisterous families, people working out, running, cycling great space , hit the children’s park for a while to tire baby Perrin out.

We walked over to The Owl Farm , a great urban cool bar, for a couple of half beers whilst Pete had several and found out Louise had been rolled out of here at some god forsaken time and left her credit card behind the bar!

Walked back along the Brownstones street lined with decoration from Halloween , lots of carved pumpkins and fake spiders webs everywhere still.

Called into some long time served business like Fleischman butchers a great butchery with amazing reductions of stock, their meat looked amazing, and bless they started to follow me on Instagram too.
Beirkraft, said hi to Joe, who attended the evening event at Industry City saw them full customers growlers ( large take home bottles ) checked out their charcuterie, cheese, platters , deserts all homemade on site , outside dining, outside looks like a dingy bit off licence inside brewing and great DEFINITLEY a place to eat next time I’m here.

We dropped by the Farmers market and Pete bought some great homemade soda liqueurs for mixing into cocktails cassia cream ( vanilla and cassia), got back to the apartment, I was chilled, relaxed and ended up snoozing, the afternoon beers taking their toll but giving me the needed sleep I desired. I slept for an hour or so whilst Pete worked

Louise was in touch she had rose from her slumber at 1pm met up with some of her friends and in the late evening we all went to Lucalis for delicious bubbling burnt crust Brooklyn style Italian American pizza, rolled out in front of you using a Wine bottle as a rolling pin! This a where Louise had her wedding party dinner and it truly is amazing pizza.

Mark the proprietor turned up as we were finishing and we chatted for a bit as he told us he had opened another one in Miami. It’s a great space , I loved the decor simplicity and some fun quirky bits like the toilet cistern is a Canada dry box! The kitchen is a selection of tables constructed in a square around. A single wood fired oven , they we’ve pizza and that’s it. All more stories and tales to tell in a more detailed diary version!

We stopped at Ample Farm Creamery got Susan some salted Crack icecream to go with her take out we had brought from Lucalis. I went to bed full belly and few more beers heavier, Louise crashed on Petes sofa after more beer and calvados tipples.

Morning and it’s off to McSowrleys and Katz Deli for my final farewell to NYC until next time . Louise and I plotting our NYC next event we are so proud of our achievements that we have created ourselves, no PR companies, no support from The Taste, just our mutual stubbornness and faith In our cooking, we can and will do amazing things.

She is looking to get an apartment here in NYC, a site for retail kitchen lots of plans, lots of sites to use for PopUp.

NYC cooking here I come and family come with next time!

I will be happily reeling from the Success from our amazing events for a long time. We are both very proud of each other and that we are now great friends with a shining future ahead of us.

Feedback from the industry City and LA river events has been overwhelming in that EVEYBODY that attended has only positive comments to our food which make me and Louise very very happy happy .2 staggeringly fabulous events and many many more to come ……..

Traveling home on the very late plane leaving Monday NYC arriving Tuesday UK, straight into events and cooking.

Lots to do, lots of new memories made
US of A I loved it , Weezy is a special lady and all her friends who embraced me, accepted me , put me up to sleep all of them were just a spectacular added bonus to a truly wonderful adventure.